February 03, 2014

Kansas vs Maui

Happy February! Man, what a cooooooold, brrrr-ey winter. I was so lucky to get away to Hawaii and escape the worst of it, but I still feel like I've been a human popsicle most of the season. Some of it is because of the propane shortage, the price of heating our house more than doubled, and I've been keeping careful track of thermostat settings.

Geez, I thought Hawaii was expensive. At least a vacation is a memorable, relaxing, and worthwhile way to spend too much money.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love a cozy, warm house and know it's important. But I'd sure rather pay half as much to do it.

Normally, we prepay for our gas for the entire year way back in August, to get a set price. If I'd had the foresight to do that last summer, we wouldn't be paying double now. But I'd still be cutting back and turning down the thermostat, since there is a shortage. It's scary to think of running out! Our firewood supply is low too.

Maybe we should turn the heat to a minimum, pack up and fly back to paradise, spend the money there instead of on propane!

I wish.

For now, I'll enjoy my album from Maui. I printed the finger painting water color sketches I'd done on my iPad, and used those in the book along with a few mementos and some pictures.

The ap doesn't allow a lot of detail, so printing them, and adding hand drawn elements and words with ink really gave them the punch they needed.

Here is one directly from the ap. I don't think it needs any further detail, Dorothy Rosebud's furry mess of a hairdo is bad enough without more clarification. But the shaggy layer is helping her keep warm, so it will have to stay til either spring comes or the price of propane comes down!

Comments

Oh Karla, your trip album is fabulous! I think all of your drawings you did with your watercolor app add such a wonderful personal touch in addition to the photos, I just love it! You are going to have so much fun looking at that each year when you are freezing each winter! You can look at it and feel all warm and cozy. I had no idea it cost so much to heat a house, I am so sorry, that stinks.

Hi Karla..You are so talented and have such a cool album about Hawaii! The pictures are so bright and colorful! Hope the pictures can help keep you warm during the rest of the cold winter!! Just maybe Phil was wrong and it will warm up :):)

Delightful journal. I think I might work on typography in my Hawaii journal. Better get some more tags ready. As for the cold and scarce resources. Very scary!! Mother Nature is definitely the boss of me. I'm thinking of wearing my Uggs on the way to Kona since it will be cold coming and going to the airport.

i love how you did the drawings from the photos! We're getting blasted with 12 inches of snow today and I have the heat cranked down to 62 - brrr. We prepay oil in july and I don't want to have to buy any more.

Leslie, it isnt usually as much to heat our house per month as it is for a mortgage payment, this is a shock. But I still have to consider myself lucky that there is enough gas for us and that we were in a position to pay for it. I know that not everyone has enough.